nders that don't take anabolic steroids. They can't really discourage this because this is still following the guidelines. Another category is EPO, which stands for Erythropoietin. Erythropoietin regulates red blood cell production. The red blood cells deliver the oxygen to the muscles and organs of the body. EPO is mostly used by the long distance runners because of its endurance enhancing qualities. It can improve a twenty minute run by thirty seconds and a Marathon run by four minutes. EPO is flushed from the system and is undetectable after a week. This drug, as with all the others, is very dangerous to the athlete. Erythropoietin has been the cause of twenty-five deaths since we identified it as a manufactured drug. Each person reacts to any given drug in different ways. The threshold of EPO differs from person to person, but when you exceed your threshold, your blood thickens to the point where your heart can't pump it any longer5. Blood doping is another category. It is a process that will also lengthen a runner's endurance. You first take about a quart of blood from the athlete's body. Then you remove the red blood cells from the plasma. You put these in cold storage for about a week and then re-infuse them into the athlete's blood stream. This results in a twenty-five percent increase in the distance the athlete can run. This also carries with it an inherent danger, but even though it's illegal, it can't be tested for6. Human Growth Hormone or hGH is a naturally occurring protein found in the human body. This increases the size of muscles while testosterone increases their strength. After you inject it, it can't be detected after 17-45 minutes. This is also not tested for, even though it's illegal7. Finally, there is the blood substitutes. They also boost the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, and aren't tested for. The effects of this drug aren't known, for that, it's considered dangerous8.Drug Testing...
